


Glass

by TheLadyFiction



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Clothing malfunction, F/M, Feelings, Liam the inappropriate prank king, Liam trying too hard to be a bro, Pranks, Pre-Relationship, Slight Voyeurism, inappropriate behaviour
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-29
Updated: 2017-05-29
Packaged: 2018-11-06 11:15:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11035068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLadyFiction/pseuds/TheLadyFiction
Summary: Sara is not in a good mood and Liam's 'pranking' (on Jaal's behalf) and at her expense is not helping the situation.Pre-relationship.





	Glass

It wasn't intentional, Jaal had insisted, his skin flushing a vivid lilac as he tried desperately to stutter out an explanation, taken aback by Ryder's reddened face, narrowed eyes tracking his every more like a very angry predator, backing him against one of the bunks in the communal sleeping quarters where she had cornered them.

She was _not_ in a good mood. Citing concerns about the ship, they had both had her running back and forth from the bridge to the tech labs and back across the walkway scanning every inch of the wiring and piping while they claimed to scan the level underneath her, but something just didn't feel right.

Behind her, Liam was almost bent double, trying to stifle his laughter with a fist to his mouth as Sara bore down on the angaran.

“What the hell is all of this about? You tell me things that sound like there's an emergency and when I ask more, you two start dicking about and... Liam, I swear to god,” she hissed as she span round to glare at her fellow human as he snorted with laughter.

Though confused as to how one could 'dick around', Jaal couldn't help but let his eyes wander over Sara's body now it was turned away from him; her choppy dark hair fell freely onto her shoulders, brushing the bare skin her athletic racer-back top left exposed, the back swaying loosely over the top of the short black skirt she was wearing.

Jaal's wandering mind and gaze were both bought back to Sara's face as she turned back to face him, hair swinging with the turn, Liam now looking suitably chastised behind her.

“And _you_. I expected better from you,” she snapped, startling Jaal a little. He had never seen her in such a foul mood, and felt the guilt as if it were a physical shroud. “You should know better than to trust anything Liam says, I've been running backwards and forwards looking for non-existent issues with the ship, only to find out it's you two? I am so _disappointed_ , I don't have words!” she exclaimed, brows furrowed and arms crossed.

The words hit Jaal like a slap to the face. Disappointed. That was not his intention at all! In fact him intentions were... well, maybe it was best she didn't know but...

“Sara,” he began, reaching out a hand to her, eyes open and earnest.

“No,” she responded, turning away even as he was in no danger of touching her from his current position. “This is not acceptable. I should have you both on cleaning duty for the next month.”

Liam finally spoke up, the idea of physical labour seemingly too much for him.

“Hey, this is technically your fault anyway. You caused a distraction and we had some fun with it,” he explained, trying not to chuckle.  
Jaal felt his face heat up.

“Liam,” he warned, but the human ignored him, continuing;  
“I was just trying to cheer our resident angara up, with your help of course.”

Sara turned to glare at Liam once again.  
“What the hell are you talking about Liam?” she snapped, eyes like fire, focused on him.

Jaal shook his head apprehensively, trying to signal to Liam not to give up their game, to not drop him in it. But there was a familiar glint in Liam's eyes now, the one that spelled nothing but mischief.

He barely managed to contain the groan of frustration that rose up his throat, along with the nervous feeling that followed.

“Well Jaal has been looking for something, and you technically have helped him find it,” Liam teased, a flash of panic crossing his face as Sara's arms fell to her sides, fists bunched and biotic energy gathering there.

“Cut the bullshit,” she hissed through gritted teeth. “I want to know what the fuck this is about, right now.”

Jaal actually took a step back, nervous at this side of Sara; she was usually so calm.

To his credit, Liam stood his ground, the grin creeping back on his face.

“We can show you if you go up on the walkway,” he said with the most serious tone he could muster.

Sara saw red again.  
“What the fuck is this, Kosta? You taking me for a fucking ride, because if you don't come out with an honest answer you're about to get fucking spaced,” she growled.

“Whoa, who the fuck shat in your bed?” Liam retorted, crossing his arms. “We were having a laugh and instead of treating it like that you're acting like we're...”

“Like you're what, Liam? Children? Maybe that's because you're behaving like them. And getting Jaal to join in is not okay. He is here to help our mission, not to be your cultural experiment.”

“What? Me? It was Jaal's idea!”  
“I swear to fuck Liam, don't fucking lie to me! I have just about had it with people lying to me and misdirecting and... just... fuck...”

Tears began to well in Sara's eyes, her hands unclenching, moving to cover her face as she bent a little, suddenly overwhelmed.

Liam and Jaal met each others gaze, both suddenly solemn and guilty.

“Sara,” Jaal began again, taking a step towards her this time, his hand outstretched. “Sara, we did not mean to...”  
“I... I'm just... today is just...”

Jaal shushed her, pulling her close, his arms winding around her. He threaded one hand through her hair.  
Slowly, she reciprocated, wrapping her arms around his wider torso, burying her face in his chest, seeking any comfort she could find.

Liam regarded both of them with a fondness and not a small amount of guilt.  
“Fuck, Ryder, I'm sorry. We didn't... we just wanted a laugh. I-I didn't think.”  
“We never meant to upset you, darling one. We should not have toyed with you,” Jaal continued, stroking her hair.

Sara sniffed in response.

“I'm sorry I overreacted,” she murmured from inside Jaal's embrace, both seemingly unwilling to let go. “I've just... Tann's riding my ass over everything that's going on, the arks and... just everything... it's just been a shit day.”

“I'm sorry,” Liam offered, placing a gentle hand on her back, a gentle squeeze before letting go. “We won't do it again.”

“Pshhaa,” Sara waved him off, offering a weak smile, finally detaching herself from Jaal's embrace. The angara continued to gaze at her with concern. “Don't you guys dare. Usually I... you know I love your little... whatever they are, pranks, jokes, errands...”  
“Armour swapping sessions?” Liam grinned, full out laughing when Sara's face flushed red. Jaal too gave a soft chuckle.  
“Yeah, those too,” she murmured, becoming very interested in her feet.

The three of them shared an chuckle before a beat of awkward silence fell between them.

“Sara, if you are tired, you should rest,” Jaal suggested. “We can field any requests for people seeking you out for a few hours.”

There was no denying Sara looked relieved, taking a deep breath before nodding in agreement.  
“Yeah... maybe that is what I need,” she spoke softly, a sudden tiredness spreading over her features. “I'm sorry again for losing it. I'll...” she reached for Jaal's hand, as if by impulse but quickly withdrew when she realised what she was doing. “I'll, uh, I'm going to... my room. To, uh, lay down,” she stumbled a little, eyes so fixed on the floor she missed the flash of disappointment across Jaal's face as she withdrew.  
“See you guys later, yeah? And thank you.”  
“Anytime,” Liam smiled.  
“Stay strong, dearest,” Jaal smiled, his heart clenching a little when her face flushed a little and she half ducked, almost subconsciously, a curtain of hair falling across her face which she quickly brushed behind her ear, giving him a coy look as she retreated to her room.

Once the door to her quarters slid shut, Jaal released a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding and rounded on Liam.  
The human had the good grace to actually look a little scared, for a moment.  
“You,” Jaal growled, punching him in the arm. Liam flinched and exclaimed his displeasure at the motion. “You were going to tell her,” the angara continued, though he didn't feel the anger his voice portrayed.  
“Yeah, and? You're gonna need to tell her some time or another. And besides, she's got it bad for you,” Liam grinned.  
Jaal frowned.  
“She has what bad?” he quizzed, feeling himself flush a little, the memory of Ryder pressed against him only minutes ago still fresh in his mind.

Liam let out a hearty laugh.  
“It's... never mind. Come on, let's go, we got some stuff we need to talk about,” he chuckled, heading away from the crew quarters.  
With one last longing glance at the closed door to the pathfinder's quarters and a deep sigh, Jaal turned to follow him.

*-*-*

A few hours sleep had done wonders for Sara.  
She no longer felt the weight of the days events as heavy on her shoulders, though that may have had something to do with the pleasant dreams of a certain angaran that had begun invading her sleep recently.  
Not that she was complaining.

With a sigh she reluctantly rose from her messed up bed and stood with a yawn, stretching her arms above her head, wincing when the joints popped.  
“SAM, what time is it?” she asked through another yawn.  
“17:45, Pathfinder. Would you like me to activate any refreshment systems?” SAM offered.  
“Damn, I overslept,” Ryder muttered to herslef. “No, SAM, that's fine. I should probably just head up and see what else has fallen apart while I rested.”

There was a bitterness in her voice she did not recognise. It unsettled her. Shaking off the thought, she moved to the doors, hesitating as she considered her current state of dress; she had fallen asleep in her workout top and skirt – not that anyone would care, and the way the day was going, she'd be going back to sleep in a few hours. It wasn't imperative she change right now.

Decision made, she went to the door, motion sensors activating. The door slid open and Sara squeaked in shock as she was confronted with Liam, a shit-eating grin plastered on his face.

“Morning sleeping beauty,” he chirped, grunting and recoiling when Sara struck him round the face in an automatic gesture, unable to stop herself.  
“What the hell is your damage, Ryder?” Liam half shouted, somewhat in shock.

“I, I'm so sorry! Oh my god, Liam, you scared the shit out of me!” she cried back, adrenaline pumping through her. “What the hell were you doing skulking in front of my cabin anyway?”  
“I was not skulking,” Liam protested. “I asked SAM to let me know when you woke up. Wanted to apologize again for earlier.”

Sara gave a snort of laughter.  
“Well maybe scaring the living hell out of my isn't the way to go,” she smiled weakly, still feeling exhausted despite her rest.  
“I'll try to remember that,” Liam chuckled, his laughter fading as Sara looked to him expectantly. “What?” he finally asked, a slight irritation creeping into his voice.  
“Well,” she gestured around her, “weren't you going to tell me exactly why you and Jaal had me scanning everywhere earlier?”

Liam's smile was suddenly back.

“Oh, yeah, right! Yeah, like I said earlier, I need you up on the walkway for this.”  
Sara heaved a sigh.  
“Seriously?” she asked, annoyance clear.  
“Seriously,” Liam grinned.  
“Ugh, fine,” she huffed, turning to climb one of the ladders. “But this had better be worth my time, for real this time.”  
“Oh, it will be,” Liam all but laughed, opening the comm on his omni-tool as Ryder climbed. “Hey, Jaal, can you come to the lower hallway, I need you for something.”

Jaal's response was lamost immediate over the comms.  
“What now, Liam? This had better be important,” he sighed, the sound of tools being placed down heard as the comm channel closed.

“Oh, it will be,” Liam chuckled to himself.

*-*-*

“So what exactly am I looking for?” Sara asked impatiently, scanning the roof of the corridor. She had walked all the way along and was now right on the threshold of the glass and metal meeting point on the walkway above.

“Jaal knows exactly what to look for. Ah, here he is, tell her Jaal, you know what you're looking for, right?” Liam asked with as straight a face as he could manage as the angara walked in the hallway with a confused look on his face.

“Liam, what are you...” he lost his train of thought as his eyes followed Liam's gesture above him and he caught sight of Ryder directly above him, a slightly agitated look on her face as she scanned.

Noticing his presence, she glanced down.

“So, Jaal. What exactly am I looking for?” she asked, somewhat impatiently. A few beats of silence, and Jaal stood, frozen in what looked like some kind of shocked trance, his eyes wide, skin flushed. “Jaal, are you okay?” she asked, concern suddenly lacing her voice as he turned an almost alarming shade of purple.

“Oh, I think he's more than alright,” Liam laughed, almost bent double at the sight of Jaal so shocked.

“What the... is anyone going to tell me what the hell is going on?” Sara asked, a sliver of anger slipping back into her tone.

That alone was enough to break Jaal from his gaze upwards, causing him to clear his throat and cough a couple of times, the brightest shade of purple either Liam or Sara had ever seen him.

“Jaal?” Sara asked again, voice conflicted.

“I...I,” the angaran stammered, gaze now turned downwards, “I... I'm sorry, Sara... I...like your skirt,” he finally managed, taking a breath before turning around and walking with haste back into the cargo bay.

Sara's mouth dropped open in horror as she looked down to the transparent glass floor of the walkway. Liam finally fell to the floor in laughter, clutching his stomach.

Pushing her skirt between her legs and crossing them as much as she could, Ryder felt a familiar rage beginning to build in her.

“LIAM!” she yelled, “Is THIS why you had me walking up and down the walkway earlier?”

“Jaal had never seen a skirt before,” Liam chocked out, tears rolling down his cheeks as he clutched at himself. “I'm sorry, but, he was just so... so... oh my god, I can't believe... aha!” Liam cried.

“You are a fucking dead man!” Ryder screamed, sprinting back over to the ladder.

“Oh, shit!” Liam all but screamed, scrambling to his feet as a very angry Pathfinder came sliding down the ladder in front of him.

*-*-*

Sara wasn't in Lexi's good books but when was she ever.  
Liam's wounds would heal and most were only minor anyway, a few bruises, one black eye, but no-one could say it was undeserved.

The tech lab door had been conveniently locked when she had gone looking for answers from Jaal, and she didn't know if he deserved her anger or not.

He had seemed rather entranced by her clothing; the glass floor was something she had totally disregarded when choosing her skirt, and it was clear that Liam had done a lot of encouraging, something he'd be regretting for the next few days, medi-gel or no.

Sara let out a long sigh as she retreated back to her quarters once more. She hadn't been up that long but the day was still heavy on her mind, as was the look Jaal had across his face when she had caught him looking up at her.

There was no denying that there was something brewing between the two of them, a fondness, a mutual bond that was slowly becoming more than friendship, and even through the sense of embarrassment and anger she felt at her trust being violated, she also felt a sense of exhilaration that Jaal had been interested, which only fed the original embarrassment.

Sitting on her bed with her head in her hands, she did not notice the angara sat in the chair by her desk.

“Is this a bad time?” he asked softly, causing Sara to jump up with a surprised yelp, landing in a defensive position, hands raised and biotics ready.  
“For fucks sake, Jaal!” she cried, relaxing only the tiniest amount when her brain caught up. “Put a bell on or something!”

Jaal frowned.  
“Why would I put a bell on? What purpose would it serve?”  
“You know what...” Sara flopped back down on the bed, “just forget it. I can't...” she gestured loosely, hoping her point was made.

Closing her eyes, she considered her options.  
With a sigh, she lifted herself up to ask Jaal a question, only to find him approaching her. She gave an involuntary smile, her stomach fluttering as he reached the bed, helping her sit and positioning himself next to her on the soft mattress.

“I...” he began, contemplating his words carefully. “I violated your trust. I spoke to Vetra of what happened and she almost hit me. She was not happy,” Jaal spoke solemnly, his hands in his lap, eyes fixed on his gloved digits as they fiddled with the hemmed edges of his rofjin. “I... I should have said no,” he said firmly, as if talking to himself. “And not let Liam talk me into... no... this was... it was me.”

Sara sighed, her head swimming.

“Jaal...” her words drew his gaze to her immediately, eyes like nebulas focused on her every move. “It's... Yes, you shouldn't have done it, and yes, I expect better, from everyone but... I... did you... Oh, forget about it, it's... stupid,” she stuttered, face flushing.

“No, please. I want to... I want to learn. I need to understand what I can do to make... to keep you...”

“Oh, hell,” Sara laughed a little through her embarrassment, gripped by a confidence she didn't really feel but could fake for a moment. “I just... I'm kind of happy you did. Not that way you did it but... I guess I want to know if you... you know... liked...”

“What I saw? Yes,” Jaal smiled a little awkwardly, his usual demeanour returning. “You are... exquisite. I would very much like to see more. With your permission, of course.”

Sara swallowed, the room suddenly feeling rather warm, especially as she felt Jaal's weight on the bed shift next to her, his presence indescribable, the bioelectricity his body resonated with almost a physical feeling.

“Well, seeing as you asked so nicely,” she chuckled, her heart suddenly beating in her chest as she felt Jaal's fingers slide over hers, his body shifting closer to hers. She was afraid to move, afraid to look, as if any movement on her part would startle him, make him stop his actions.

Her breath hitched as she felt his index finger trace hers, the digit following an invisible path across the back of her hand where it supported her weight on the bed, tracing a line up her forearm, pausing for a second at her elbow to move back, continuing its path up her bicep, her mouth opening of it's own accord, shallow breaths drawn in, her eyes closing as she gave in to the feeling of Jaal's digit exploring her skin.

Another small gasp left her lips as his slid his finger over her exposed skin, across the thin fabric straps of her top and followed up her neck, brushing against her pulse point for a brief moment, her entire body shifting towards him, their legs brushing together.

“Sara,” she hear Jaal all but growl, his finger reaching the back of her neck, the rest of his digits following it round so he was cupping her head, secure but gentle as was in everything he did. “Sara, look at me,” he urged, tilting her head to face him.

Her eyes fluttered open, focusing on his hypnotic eyes as he stared at her, his pupils now dilated, his mouth mirroring hers, open and drawing in shallow breaths, his skin tinged purple.  
“Sara,” he purred again, pulling her a little, their bodies shifting closer.  
“Jaal,” she responded, her free hand coming up from the other side of her, moving to rest on his thigh without much thought.

He growled softly at the contact, a pleasing sound that went straight to her core.  
“I want to kiss you,” Jaal all but hummed, his face now mere inches from hers. “May I?”

Sara let out a soft whimper at the request, managing only a curt nod before Jaal closed the gap between them, his lips against hers in a matter of seconds, warm and inviting and Sara's body was going into overload, processing the fact that _Jaal was kissing her and oh my god this is really happening!_

Jaal let out a guttural growl that seemed to come from inside his chest, the kiss taking a suddenly turn as his tongue slipped out to taste the inside of her mouth.  
Sara groaned a little at the contact, shifting to face him better, her hands beginning to slide up his armour.

She felt his grip guiding her backwards, down onto the bed, pressure added by his body as he moved to cover her, his free hand beginning to slide up her leg, to...

“Pathfinder, you have new e-mail at your terminal. It is marked as urgent, and is from the Nexus.”  
“Goddamnit, SAM,” Sara growled.  
“Apologies,” SAM responded monotonously. “My protocol is to only interrupt your leisure time for priority communications. However, given its source, I calculate that this communication is likely of high importance,” he continued over the speakers in her room.

Jaal gave a small chuckle, dropping his kisses to her neck as Sara gave a small groan of frustration.  
“I know, SAM. I'm not mad at you,” she replied. “Jaal,” she all but gasped, arching her back a little to give him more access to her skin even as she put her hand on his chest to stop his actions. “Jaal, I need... I need to go,” she urged, trying to push him away, finding his kisses intoxicating, even now as he kissed further down her chest, to where the neck line of her vest fell.

“Hmmm, Sara,” he hummed, pulling himself away as if magnetically attracted. “I understand,” he said softly, followed by a sigh, his hand moving to cup her face again, his thumb tracing over her kiss swollen lips. “Promise me that... I very much want to continue this later, with your permission.”

Sara groaned.  
“SAM, just how important did you say that message was?”

**Author's Note:**

> So this was just a little idea I had while watching my other half play Andromeda and realising that the walkway between the bridge and the research/AVP station is glass.
> 
> Hence, this.
> 
> I know it ended on kind of a tease, I may consider continuing this if there is enough demand :)
> 
> Feedback is always welcome! :D


End file.
